


Do you have room for one more troubled soul.

by lynnja



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: AU, Everybody Lives, F/M, For the most part, happy aus, mostly yorkalina, or stupid stuff on the mother of invention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:51:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2480402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynnja/pseuds/lynnja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Yorkalina drabbles for the most part. Some of the other freelancers will work their way in here. All these are unconnected unless stated otherwise and a number will be AUs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shower

**Author's Note:**

> AN: First one. Takes place on board Mother of Invention

Carolina knew that she's been in more pain than this, but it didn't feel like it. Her shoulder was roaring every time she moved and that was after the surgery, after the anesthesia. She was lucky that it was only a shoulder and she'd be making a swift recovery but that didn't help with the pain right now. At least she had to consolation prizes of the mission being a success and only herself being injured. The others had gotten a few bumps and scrapes but she'd been the only one to take an actual injury. 

The car had been set to ram Washington, but he hadn't seen it. He'd been locked in hand to hand with one of the rebels and they'd gotten him with a flash grenade. She remembered seeing him flounder with his back to the car that was coming. Carolina had been in her own fight but two hits later he was down and she was running and then – and then pain. She'd kicked Washington out of the way and the car had hit her instead. Her armor had negated most of the damage. At least it did until the car crashed into a wall and her shoulder bore the brunt of the damage. Carolina had screamed then and screamed and she'd been sure she'd lost the arm but she woke up days later back on their ship.

She had been told she'd had to have a number of surgeries, that almost every bone, tendon, and muscle in that area had been pulverized but she'd be alright. Carolina wasn't entirely sure she believed them, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to get clean and get some rest.

When she removed her clothes to get into the shower she knew she would have a problem. All she had to take off was a hospital gown that was fastened in the front but even that action had hurt. She turned on the water and grabbed the soap with her right hand but the rest of this process would be a pain in the ass. So for right now she just stood in the stream of water and let it hit her. If she closed her eyes she could shut the pain out and forget about anything. She could almost pretend she was back on earth and at her childhood home. There was no fighting, no pain, nothing but her and the peace in the water. It was a silly escapist fantasy and she knew better but she allowed it for just a moment.

Someone knocked on the door and she opened her eyes. Suddenly she was back on the ship and the pain was there again. ”Occupied,” Carolina snapped at the door.

“I know,” the person on the other side said. 

Her expression softened just a tad. Carolina got out of the shower but didn't turn it off. She opened the door, unsurprised to find York on the other side. He was dressed for downtime in his yellow shirt and sweats. His good eye was watching her as she moved but there was a softness in his gaze and she felt no need to cover herself. 

“I thought you might need a hand,” he said. Carolina frowned and he added, “Look 'Lina. There's nothing wrong with needing help every so often.” 

“Fine, fine,” she said, relenting. She stepped back into the shower and York took off his clothes before joining her. 

Carolina rolled her eyes and said, “You just wanted to take a shower with me.”

“Can you blame me?” he asked as he leaned down to press a kiss to her uninjured shoulder. Carolina leaned her head back and rested it on his shoulder. She felt rather than heard his appreciative hum at the view that gave him. He laid his hand on her waist and brought her even closer.

“York, I'm not exactly feeling up to-”

“Hm? Oh! No, no, I gotcha. I just like you close.”

“You're very sentimental.”

“In almost any other tone that would be a compliment.”

“If I compliment you too often you get complacent.”

That made York laugh and plant a few more kisses on her neck and shoulder. “Anything but that,” he said. One more kiss, this time to her temple then he was reaching past her to grab the shampoo. As he poured it out into his hands he couldn't help but say, “You know, if this keeps up we'll have one fully functioning body between us.” Carolina groaned at the thought but she couldn't exactly argue.


	2. Hacking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which York is a Hacker, Delta rolls his eyes, and an introduction is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: College AU!

York cracked his neck, cracked his fingers and leaned over the keyboard. There was a frenzy of typing, then he looked at the screen, hummed, and leaned back. After a moment of looking at the computer he leaned back in and the frenzied typing continued.

At the desk next to him Delta did his best to ignore him. After a few more loud 'hmms' and 'ahas!' he finally had to pull himself away from his own computer. “What are you doing?” he asked, though he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer.

“I'm hacking the mainframe.”

Delta blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. “Do you mind repeating yourself?”

“I'm hacking the computer. And then I'll have access to my grades and I'll get straight A's. It's a foolproof plan. You know how good I am with locks and passwords and stuff.”

“When you forgot your key to your dorm last week, didn't you get the cops called on you?” York didn't say anything to that and Delta pressed on. “And didn't that happen the week before as well?” York still didn't respond. There was just the frenzy of typing and after a moment Delta had to get up to see what was on his screen. It was mostly black with green letters but Delta was fairly sure it wasn't actually the mainframe. As if that actually made any sense. 

Behind both of them someone else cleared her throat and the pair of them jumped. 

York was the first to recover and he was on his feet in a matter of seconds. The girl was looking at both of them with narrowed green eyes and Delta couldn't say if York was so attentive because she was pretty or because she looked like she could kick both their asses if she wanted to. Maybe it was a mixture of both.

“Can I help you?” York asked. He offered her a wide smile but the girl continued to scowl. Delta had to admit he was more than a little interested now. Usually girls fell all over themselves at York's smile and charm but the redhead in front of them seemed less than charmed.

“Yeah. You are the monitors for the computer lab, right?”

“That would be us!” She looked between the two of them and Delta was given the impression that she found them both wanted. Delta frowned at that but York continued to smile. Knowing him it was genuine. Delta was far better with the computers but York had this... this something about him that made people like him. Even now the red head was starting to smile a little as she spoke with him. Something about getting locked out of her computer. 

Delta continued to watch as he went over to her computer and sat down next to him. The two of them were chatting too much for it to just be about the computer and he had a feeling that the conversation might continue for a while, long after York actually confessed he had no idea what he was doing when it came to computers. He pushed his glasses up on his face as he leaned back in his chair. York's computer screen was within his view and he could see that what York had been doing had timed out and was asking him if he wanted to play again. 

Delta rolled his eyes.


	3. Emotional Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place some undetermined time after PF. AU in which York is not dead because of reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you had a great birthday Space Chickens!

His thumb stroked her stomach partly because he loved the feel of her under his hand and partly to delay having to get up and face the day. York could feel the sun on his back and he knew it'd move to Carolina eventually. Then she'd be up and making him do the same even though everything in him wanted to just stay where he was. Right now the two of them were a tangled mess of blankets and limbs but no clothes and he was pretty sure this was heaven. 

At least he was until his thumb caught on something rough and he paused. York looked over her shoulder, past her breasts (which was rather difficult) and to her stomach. His finger hovered over a scar, one she'd gotten from the cliff Maine had thrown her off of. Or maybe it had been on a mission when they were still with the Project. Or maybe – well, there were a number of maybes that could have lead to this particular scar on her stomach. She had a number of them, almost as many as he did.

“I hate your sentimental mornings,” she said. Her face was still half in the pillow and she made no effort to raise her head so the words came out muffled. York still understood her though.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” 

She cracked open a green eye just enough so he could see she rolled it. “You have these all the time. You wake up and you get transfixed on a scar or my hair or something and you just lounge about and get emotional. And then for the rest of the day you just sort of mope around.”

York huffed. “I don't get emotional. You're the emotional one.” She was not and both of them knew it. 

He expected some kind of retort but instead she finally rolled over so she was facing him. Carolina took the hand he'd been using to touch her and threaded her fingers in with his. York had a million thoughts on his mind, but for once he just stayed quiet. Carolina wasn't affectionate by any definition of the word so he relished these little moments. Maybe she was just doing this so he'd be quiet, but he didn't care. 

Finally she spoke, and when she did it was a whisper. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” he said as though it was a reflex. It wasn't though. York was always the one to say those words first. It wasn't that she never said them, just... she was never the one to offer them first. York didn't know why but he could guess, so he just let her do her own thing. She was particular and stubborn, but she didn't need fixing because there was nothing wrong. There was just Carolina and the way she was. 

“You're doing it again. Getting emotional. I can feel it.” She let go of his hand then and was now propping herself up on her elbow. The look she was giving him was bemused and York found himself matching the expression. 

“Can you blame me? Who wouldn't get emotional if they got to wake up with the most perfect woman ever.” This statement was punctuated with multiple kisses to her cheeks, to her neck, to her shoulder, to the tip of her nose. Carolina made noises like she was protesting but the fact that she couldn't hide her smile gave her away. York was just starting to consider tickling her when she grabbed his pillow from under him and smacked him with it. “That's how it's going to be?” he asked. He grabbed her pillow but before he could do anything with it, she had his wrist. York had just enough time to say a short prayer before she'd somehow gotten him underneath her. Carolina had a leg on either side of his chest and his arms pinned over his head. 

“If I ever die I want this to be the last thing I see.”

“If?”

“If,” he affirmed. His eyes moved across her body and he could tell from the expression on her face that Carolina was loving the attention, and the effect that having her on top was causing. York tried to worm a hand out from her grip so he could touch her, but Carolina tightened her grip. Maybe he could get out but most likely not and it wasn't worth it to try. So he said, “I can think of somewhere else I'd rather have those hands.”

That made her snort and she released him so she could cover her mouth with her hands as she started to laugh. 

“I'm being serious!” York said. “I have a growing problem here and -” By now Carolina was full on laughing and much as he loved watching her laugh she was also still on top of him and the moving wasn't helping. “You're doing this to me on purpose,” he accused. He tried to glare at her to show he was serious but he wasn't really. Not at all. It wasn't often that he got a laugh out of her, so he'd take these moments when he could. Soon enough they'd have to get up and leave and then it would be on to the next mission or the next planet or something because just sitting still wasn't really an option for either of them. For now though – just for a few more minutes – they could enjoy this.


	4. Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tattoo artist / florist au as suggested by tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be more to this if you guys want? Leave me a message if you want another drabble in this (or any of the other one shots) univerise

“I think that might be the best thing I've ever seen,” York said as he looked at his friends shoulder.

  
“Right?” North asked as he craned his head to look. For a moment both of them were quiet as they looked at North's tattoo. The skin around it was red and raised but it was still easy to tell that a lot of skill had gone into creating it. It was an outline of a hawk in profile and around it were hues of red and orange done in the style of a watercolor painting. The hawk sat on his bicep and the colors went from right above the crook of his arm to spread across the top of his chest.

  
“Where'd you get it done?” York asked.

  
“Next door.”

  
“Really?” he asked. It was hard to imagine something so beautiful coming from the gang next door. They were loud and rowdy and if he'd known a tattoo parlor was going to open up next door he never would have opened up his flower shop here. At least they didn't open up until noon, which gave him so quiet time in the morning.

  
North caught his expression and grinned. He was well aware of his friends feeling on the shop next door. “Go over there and talk to the one who did mine. Her name's Carolina. I know you were thinking about getting something.”

  
York pictured what a woman named Carolina who worked at a tattoo parlor would look like. Leather – a lot of leather. A bandana probably, and she probably spat a lot. He wasn't sure why he pictured her that way, but he was sure that she did. “I... I don't know.”

  
“C'mon, go at least meet her. I think you'll like her. Me and Delta can watch the store.” As if in agreement Delta barked and York looked down at the dog at his feet. The Australian Shepard looked back up at him and York smiled. “Alright, fine. I'll be back in a moment.”

  
He left his shop, the bell over the door chiming behind him. The door to the tattoo parlor was only a few steps from his own, but he'd never made this walk before. For a moment York considered heading back into his shop and telling North it was closed or something but he knew his friend wouldn't believe him. So he opened the door and stepped in.  
The tattoo parlor was much brighter inside than he thought it would be. Actually, if it wasn't for the bright and vibrant paintings on the wall he might have stepped into a regular office. There was a desk on the right and beyond that he could see a few tables, some of them marked off with a folding screen. At the desk was a woman with the brightest red hair he'd ever seen. She looked up when he entered and put aside a magazine she'd been reading. Behind her, on one of the beds was a blonde woman getting a tattoo from a guy who had to be at least six and a half feet and well over two hundred pounds. He didn't look up from what he was doing and York watched him for a moment before approaching the redhead.

  
As he got closer York got a better look at her, and anything he might have been about to say left him. She literally left him speechless.

  
The redhead looked amused and he had to swallow hard before his words would come back to him. “I'm looking for Carolina, I think?” Usually he was a lot better with women but right now she had taken him off guard. York was pretty sure he had a reason for not coming over here more often, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was.  
“Well, you're in luck. I think I'm Carolina,” she said.

  
“Right, yeah. You did my friend North and I was thinking about getting something too? Oh, sorry. I'm York, I work -”

  
“Next door, right? At the florists.”

  
“Yep, that's me.” Now he was getting back in his normal groove.

  
“So what were you thinking of getting?” she asked.

  
“Well, I was wanting a white carnation. But something still...” he trailed off. York knew that getting a flower wasn't something that guys really got, but she didn't seem judgmental.

Carolina reached from some paper and a pencil. “White carnation then? That's for remembrance, right?”

  
“Yeah. I didn't think you'd-“ He stopped himself when he realized that could be taken as an insult.

  
She didn't seem offended though. “What you thought that only florists know about flower meanings?” she teased. York smiled despite his gaffee. “What are you remembering, if you don't mind me asking?” Just as quick as it'd came his smile fell.

  
“Sorry,” she was quick to say. “You don't have to tell.”

  
“No, no, it's alright. I was in the marines. Lost some friends there, same time I lost my eye. I know it's not much, but I kinda wanted to get something for them.” That was the cliff notes version, but it was all he was going to say on the subject.

  
“Yeah, I know the feeling,” she said softly. He looked at her, then at her hand as she turned it over. On her wrist was the marine corp emblem, but behind the head of the eagle was a white carnation. “Me and Maine were both in,” she said and motioned to the giant who was just finishing up the blonde woman's tattoo. He looked up now and York saw a number of scars across his throat. He blinked and then went back to what he was doing, and York turned his attention back to Carolina.

  
“Alright, so what do you think about something like this?” she asked as she began to sketch out a design. York watched as her fingers moved and gave suggestions as needed. She brought out some watercolors and with York's suggestion the two of them came up with something he wanted. Since he couldn't leave North in charge for too long the two of them set up an appointment.

  
“See you soon,” she said as he began to leave.

  
There was an obvious smile in his voice as he said, “See you soon.”


End file.
